Legal Employment

Legal employment remains strong throughout the US, despite recent negative economic cycles. By 2012, the legal employment rate is expected to increase by 17.0 percent for attorneys, paralegals, and legal secretaries due to anticipated demographic and economic changes. Evolving technologies may improve the employment outlook as skilled and knowledgeable attorneys and litigation professionals are required in the legal process.

Legal employment statistics for 2002 reveal that lawyers held approximately 504,370 jobs. Compensation for legal employment varied significantly depending upon the size and nature of the employer, its geographic location, and economic conditions. In 2002, most lawyers earned between $61,060 and $136,810. The lowest 10 percent of the profession earned less than $44,490, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $136,810. Most paralegals and legal assistants earned between $30,020 and $48,760, with the lowest 10 percent of the profession earning less than $24,470, and the highest 10 percent earning more than $61,150.

Legal employment was responsible for over one million legal jobs in 2004 and is integral to the nation’s economy.  Candidates interested in legal careers may enter jobs including paralegal or legal assistant, attorney or lawyer, legal secretary, or legal office manager.  Each career mandates that professionals complete specific tasks to ensure the success of the legal system.  Legal professionals may be involved in civil or criminal cases, so it is necessary for them to adhere to strict government regulations.

Lawyers and attorneys both maintain the same duties and responsibilities and meet the same requirements, so their titles are interchangeable.  These professionals generally work in small private offices, but may choose to join large firms or corporations.  No matter the size of their firm, attorneys need to be available to their clients for advisory and support purposes, and follow strict regulations pertaining to both.  Lawyers may opt to specialize in an area such as bankruptcy, divorce, international, or elder law, but they are licensed and trained to practice in all areas.

Paralegals and legal assistants are synonymous and handle similar duties as attorneys or lawyers.  They assist lawyers in researching, organizing, and preparing for a number of hearings, trials, meetings, or closings.  Paralegals must have a thorough understanding of legal practices, because they are responsible for discovering all facts relevant to specific cases.  While these assistants are able to carry out a variety of duties, the law prohibits them from practicing in court proceedings and other legal tasks. 

A legal office is commonly run by legal secretaries and/or law office managers, who are in charge of the basic reception and clerical duties of a law office.  Office managers maintain systems and equipment to ensure all are performing at optimal efficiency.  Legal secretaries answer telephones, direct calls where necessary, schedule meetings and appointments, prepare correspondences, type, file, etc.  Both professionals are accountable for maintaining existing systems and developing procedures to increase efficiency and organization.  They must keep front offices neat and tidy to ensure all documents are kept in specific order.

The majority of legal professionals work out of a centralized office, but time may be spent away from their desks.  Attorneys and paralegals spend much of their time traveling to meet with clients, conducting research or interviews, and obtaining and/or delivering legal documents.  These professionals work 40-50 hours per week, and overtime may be necessary during trials and peaks in business.  Office and secretarial positions offer more regulated schedules, and may allow professionals to be part time. 

All careers require legal knowledge, but the degree level necessary for each position varies.  Attorneys are expected to achieve the highest training.  They must complete seven years of formal education and pass a state/national board examination in order to begin practicing for the public.  Paralegals are required to obtain education that may vary from a few months to four years.  While candidates securing the highest education will have a number of options available, certificate programs allow candidates the ability to enter basic positions.  Office managers and legal secretaries are not required to obtain formal training in the legal industry, but basic knowledge and voluntary certifications will improve their desirability.  As with many industries, employers increasingly prefer formally trained candidates, but on the job experience may outweigh these preferences. 

It is projected that legal careers will grow with respect to average industries through 2014.  Paralegals and legal assistants are expected to experience the highest demands due to employers reducing costs and employing more assistants rather than attorneys.  Attorney and lawyer careers are likely to grow less than paralegal careers, but are expected to keep up with the industry growth, while the need for office and secretarial careers will fall slightly less than average occupations.  There will be the need for candidates in all venues to replace a number of professionals leaving the workforce due to retirement or other reasons.  Candidates possessing the highest education and experience will have the most prospects in future years.  

For more information on employment in the legal field, please visit the following sites:

• Barrister Books
• Legal Definitions
• LegalEthics.com
• Legal Theory Blog
• The Concise Law Encyclopedia

If you are interested in finding legal employment, or are looking to hire a legal professional, please visit iHireLegal.  We are a niche job board focusing only in candidates and positions within the legal field.